OpenAI Faces 30 More Lawsuits Linked to Tumbler Ridge Shooting

OpenAI is facing another wave of lawsuits connected to the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in British Columbia, Canada.

Edelson PC, the law firm that filed seven lawsuits against OpenAI in April on behalf of victims and their families, is now filing 30 additional complaints. The new plaintiffs include teachers, a school principal, and students who were inside the school during the attack but were not physically shot.

The latest lawsuits introduce a significant new legal claim against OpenAI. Unlike the earlier complaints, the new filings accuse the company of allegedly aiding and abetting the mass shooting. That claim would require the plaintiffs to establish that OpenAI had the necessary intent, and it could face challenges to dismiss the allegations at an early stage.

Lawsuits Focus on OpenAI’s Handling of ChatGPT Conversations

The new complaints were filed in a California court on Tuesday and are related to the February 10 shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

According to reports, teenager Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and half-brother at home before going to the school, where six additional people were killed and dozens were injured. Van Rootselaar later died by suicide.

The lawsuits follow reporting that OpenAI employees had raised concerns about Van Rootselaar’s use of ChatGPT. The Wall Street Journal reported that her conversations included discussions involving gun violence and advice related to planning an attack.

According to the report, some OpenAI employees reportedly wanted the company to contact Canadian law enforcement because they believed she could pose a real-world threat. Company leaders ultimately decided not to contact authorities. Instead, OpenAI deactivated her account, although she was reportedly able to create another account soon afterward.

OpenAI has defended its decision, saying the activity did not meet its internal standard for an “imminent and credible risk” of serious physical harm that would justify contacting law enforcement.

New Complaints Name OpenAI Executive Chris Lehane

The latest lawsuits also specifically mention OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane.

The complaints allege that Lehane told employees not to contact authorities. However, the filings do not provide direct evidence that Lehane personally made the decision, and OpenAI has strongly denied that he was involved.

The plaintiffs argue that Lehane’s position and influence inside the company contributed to what they describe as a culture that placed public relations and damage control ahead of safety.

The complaints claim that OpenAI’s Intelligence and Investigations Team was under Lehane’s control and suggest that decisions about whether to notify law enforcement were not made by the threat-assessment professionals who had reportedly recommended contacting Canadian authorities.

The complaints also name OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as the earlier lawsuits did. Lehane himself is not listed as a defendant.

Jay Edelson, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs, told TechCrunch that the legal team is not currently revealing all of its evidence. He said Lehane and Altman could become important witnesses in the cases.

OpenAI Rejects the Allegations

OpenAI has rejected the claims involving Lehane.

Jason Kwon, the company’s chief strategy officer, said it was “absolutely false” that Lehane was involved in the original decision about referring the case to authorities. He also denied that investigators report to Lehane.

Kwon further rejected the suggestion that safety decisions at OpenAI are influenced by political or public-relations considerations.

OpenAI has maintained that difficult decisions involving potential threats require balancing safety, privacy and the company’s internal standards for determining when law enforcement should be contacted.

Plaintiffs Point to an Earlier OpenAI Security Incident

The new complaints also challenge OpenAI’s explanation that privacy and the lack of an imminent threat were factors in its decision not to contact Canadian authorities.

The plaintiffs point to an incident from November 2025 involving an alleged threat against OpenAI’s San Francisco offices. According to the complaints, the company responded by locking down its offices, warning employees, sharing the suspect’s name and photograph internally, and notifying the San Francisco Police Department.

The plaintiffs argue that OpenAI took immediate action when its own employees were potentially at risk, even though the company reportedly acknowledged there was no indication of active threat activity.

They contend that this response raises questions about how OpenAI applies its standards for privacy, imminence and law-enforcement notifications in different situations.

The latest filings add another major legal challenge for OpenAI as the company continues to face scrutiny over how its AI systems respond to potentially dangerous users and situations. The new aiding-and-abetting allegations could become an important part of the litigation as the cases move through the courts.

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